After Tasmanian dog Flow took the title last year, new contender Hooch hopes to keep the Cobber Challenge crown in Tasmania for 2018.
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Molly Cornish, of Bridport, is the senior stockhand at at North-East sheep property, and Hooch works with her every day.
Ms Cornish started training working dogs as a child after she received her first dog Nala.
“It was Nala I started my stud, Cottasbrook Kelpies, with,” she said.
“I learn a lot from my dogs. I find it really rewarding to put the time and effort into training a dog and then be able to reap the rewards when they put in the hard yards for me.”
Hooch’s loyalty and hard-working nature will put him in a good position during the challenge.
“I can’t wait to get stuck into the challenge because I think Hooch needs to be recognised for the amount of work he does for me and the farm I work on,” Ms Cornish said.
“We’re both young and we love working hard, so I think we’re a great team for the challenge.”
Hooch was bred from Wyreema lines and loves paddock work, often gathering in large mobs from the paddock on his own.
The second Tasmanian entrant is Tunbridge’s Bree-Elle How with Clyde.
Cobber Challenge runs for three weeks from Monday, August 13, to Sunday, September 2.
Competitors are scored on distance, speed and duration of work per day, with points accumulated based on daily activity.
Follow progress for Hooch and Clyde at www.cobberchallenge.com.au